Container for housing household tissue paper

ABSTRACT

A container for housing household tissue paper includes a container body that stores household tissue paper inside. The container body has an upper container body that forms an upper portion of the container body and a lower container body that forms a lower portion of the container body. The upper container body has an outlet through which the household tissue paper is taken out and an open/close lid that closes the outlet. The upper container body is pivotably connected to the lower container body. The container body has an opening limiter that limits an opening angle of the upper container body.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Te present invention relates to a container for housing household tissue paper.

BACKGROUND ART

It is essential to be able to refill the household thin paper inside a container for household tissue paper such as wet tissues. As a mechanism for refilling, a container body is known to have a removable bottom lid (for example, see JP 2016 - 172581A).

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to such a container for housing household tissue paper, it takes a lot of time and effort to refill household tissue paper inside the container because it is necessary to lift the container, turn over the container, remove the bottom lid, fill the household tissue paper inside, attach the lid, and turn over the container again.

When the container body is divided into an upper part and a lower part that are pivotably connected with each other, the upper part of the container body pivots so that the space inside the container is exposed, and the household thin paper can be refilled while the container is placed on a table or the like. However, in this case, when the upper part of the container body pivots by 180 degrees on the connecting portion with the lower part of the container body as a pivot point, there is no space for the user to insert his/her finger between the upper surface of the container and the placing surface on which the container for housing household tissue paper is placed, and it is difficult to close the container again.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container for housing household tissue paper that makes it easy to refill household tissue paper inside the container while the container is placed as it is.

One aspect of the invention is a container for housing household tissue paper, which includes a container body that stores household tissue paper inside. The container body has an upper container body that forms an upper portion of the container body and a lower container body that forms a lower portion of the container body. The upper container body has an outlet through which the household tissue paper is taken out and an open/close lid that closes the outlet. In addition, the upper container body is pivotably connected to the lower container body, and the container body has an opening limiter that limits an opening angle of the upper container body.

With this structure, the container for housing household tissue paper allows easy refilling of the household tissue paper while the container is placed as it is.

In the container for housing household tissue paper, the opening limiter preferably limits the opening angle of the upper container body to be 60 degrees or more and 160 degrees or less.

With this structure, the household tissue paper inside can be refilled more easily.

In the container for housing household tissue paper, the lower container body preferably has a weight portion that prevents the container for housing household tissue paper from falling when the upper container body is open. With this structure, it is possible to prevent the container for housing household tissue paper from falling.

The weight portion is preferably located at a side of the lower container body, the side being opposite to a side where the upper container body is connected to the lower container body. With this structure, it is possible to more reliably prevent the container for housing household tissue paper from falling.

The weight portion may be a part of a lower surface of the lower container body and thicker than another part of the lower surface of the lower container body.

The weight portion may be formed of an elastic material that is exposed from an outer side of the lower surface of the lower container body. With this structure, the container for housing household tissue paper can be less likely to slip.

The weight portion may be formed of an elastic material and formed on an entire outer side of a lower surface of the lower container body.

In the container for housing household tissue paper, the upper container body is connected to the lower container body at a connecting portion, and the opening limiter may be a projection below the connecting portion. This structure further facilitates easy refilling of the household tissue paper while the container is placed as it is.

In the container for housing household tissue paper, the upper container body is connected to the lower container body at a connecting portion, and the opening limiter may be formed of an elastic material and connect a part of the upper container body above the connecting portion with a part of the lower container body below the connecting portion. This structure also further facilitates easy refilling of the household tissue paper while the container is placed as it is.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container for housing household tissue paper according to an embodiment as seen obliquely from the front. Shaded areas represent portions formed of an elastic material, which also applies to the other drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container for housing household tissue paper according to the embodiment as seen obliquely from the rear.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 passing through a middle position in Y direction.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view passing through the same position as FIG. 3 when an open/close lid is in a closed state.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view passing through the same position as FIG. 3 when an open/close lid is in an open state.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the container for housing household tissue paper according to the embodiment when an open/close lid is in the open state.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container for housing household tissue paper according to a modified embodiment as seen obliquely from the front.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the container for housing household tissue paper according to the modified embodiment passing through a middle position in Y direction.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the container for housing household tissue paper according to the modified embodiment passing through the same position as FIG. 8 when a container body is in an open state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 as an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

In the following description, an X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, front-rear direction, left-right direction, and upper-lower direction are defined as shown in FIG. 1. That is, the side of the container for housing household tissue paper 100 on which the open/close lid 2 is attached and the side opposite thereto are referred to as “upper” and “lower”, respectively. The side where a container body 1 and the open/close lid 2 are connected and the side opposite thereto are referred to as “rear” and “front”, respectively. The right-hand side and the left-hand side when one is looking toward the rear are referred to as “right” and “left”, respectively. The axis along the front-rear direction is referred to as the X axis, the axis along the left-right direction is referred to as the Y axis, and the axis along the upper-lower direction is referred to as the Z axis.

[Configuration of Embodiment] {Overall Configuration}

As shown in FIG. 1, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 includes a container body 1 that has an outlet 112 through which the inside household tissue paper is taken out, an open/close lid 2 that is connected to the container body 1 and freely opened and closed so as to cover the outlet 112, and a first biasing means 3 that extends from the container body 1 to the open/close lid 2 and biases the open/close lid 2 in an opening direction. The container body 1 has a housing space S to store the household tissue paper inside.

The container body 1 and the open/close lid 2 can be integrally formed by injection molding (double molding).

{Household Tissue Paper}

The household tissue paper P is, for example, so-called pop-up type sheets in which small wet sheets, wet tissues, or the like are folded and stacked in alternating directions such that, as one wet sheet, wet tissue, or the like is pulled out, the next one is also pulled out. Another example of the household tissue paper P is a roll sheet that is a long wet sheet, wet tissue, or the like that is wound into a roll and has perforations at regular intervals in the length direction so as to be cut along the perforations and used.

{Container Body}

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the container body 1 as a whole is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is longer in the Y direction than in the X and Z directions. The container body 1 is vertically divided into two parts almost in the middle in the Z direction, one being an upper container body 11 constituting the upper side of the container body 1 and the other being a lower container body 12 constituting the lower side of the container body 1. The upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are connected to each other on the rear side of the container body 1.

The upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 can be integrally formed by injection molding (double molding).

As shown in FIG. 2, a second biasing member(s) 13 and an opening limiter(s) 14 are on the rear side, where the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are connected to each other. The second biasing members 13 bias the upper container body 11 with respect to the lower container body 12 in an opening direction. The opening limiter 14 limits the opening angle of the upper container body 11.

The dimensions of the container body 1 as a whole are preferably 60 mm to 150 mm, more preferably 80 mm to 100 mm in the X direction, preferably 80 mm to 200 mm, more preferably 145 mm to 165 mm in the Y direction, and preferably 30 mm to 100 mm, more preferably 50 mm to 70 mm in the Z direction.

The thickness of each surface is preferably 0.5 mm to 3 mm, more preferably 1 mm to 2 mm.

With such dimensions and thickness, it is possible to achieve high molding efficiency and strength that does not cause any problems in actual use.

The container body 1 is formed such that, when a user operates the second latch 122 described later and unlatches the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12, the upper container body 11 pivots because of the biasing force of the second biasing members 13 around a pivot point on the rear side where the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are connected to each other. As a result, the inside housing space S can be exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. 5.

The housing space S is closed when a user makes the upper container body 11 pivot in a direction opposite to the above and again latches the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 using the second latch 122.

As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, a connecting portion between the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 on the rear side of the container body 1 is formed so as to be thinner than the other portions of the container body 1. Therefore, the rear surface of the container body can be readily bent at the connecting portion. This makes it easy to pivot the upper container body 11 with respect to the lower container body 12 around the connecting portion as a pivot point.

Alternatively, though productivity is reduced, the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 can be formed separately and connected pivotably using a hinge or the like.

The container body 1 is divided into the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 almost in the middle position in the Z direction in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, but may be divided at above the middle position in the Z direction. This reduces the possibility that an end seal portion(s) of the package is accidentally pinched when the container is closed, and thereby making it easier to refill the household tissue paper P to be stored in the container body 1 while being covered with a predetermined package.

(Upper Container Body)

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the upper container body 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having an opening lower surface and has a recessed portion 111 having a sunken recessed shape on the upper part of the upper container body 11. An outlet 112 for taking out the household tissue paper P in the housing space S is in the middle of the recessed portion 111 and surrounded by a body-side sealing loop 113.

Furthermore, a first latch 114 for opening and closing the open/close lid 2 is formed at the front position of the upper surface, and an upper nonslip portion 115 is formed at the rear position of the upper surface to stable the open/close lid 2 when it is opened.

Around the opening lower surface, there is formed an upper fitting portion 116 that fits to a lower fitting portion 121 of the lower container body 12 described later.

(Outlet)

The outlet 112 is a hole that is formed almost in the middle of the upper surface of the upper container body and connects to the housing space S.

The outlet 112 is formed by making two intersecting cuts in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of cuts may be more than two. For example, three cuts connecting respective vertices of a right triangle and the center of gravity of the right triangle may be made.

The periphery of the outlet 112 is formed of a material having elasticity described later so as to apply appropriate resistance to the household tissue paper P. As a result, when a sheet of the household tissue paper P in the housing space S is pulled out, the next sheet of the household tissue paper P is held by the outlet 112. Furthermore, when the household tissue paper P is a roll sheet, outlet 112 can cut the household tissue paper P at its perforations for cutting.

(Body-Side Sealing Loop)

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the body-side sealing loop 113 is a loop-shaped projection protruding in the upper direction and surrounding the outlet 112. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the outer peripheral surface of the body-side sealing loop 113 is formed so as to fit to the inner peripheral surface of the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 that is formed on the open/close lid 2 as described later.

(First Latch)

As shown in FIG. 1, the first latch 114 is formed of a button shape having a body-side hook 1141. The body-side hook 1141 engages with the open/close-lid-side hook 21 formed on the open/close lid 2 described later to latch the open/close lid 2 in a closed state. When a user pushes the first latch 114, the body-side hook 1141 and the open/close-lid-side hook 21 are disengaged, and the open/close lid 2 is opened.

(Upper Nonslip Portion)

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the open/close lid 2 in an open state is less likely to slip because of the upper nonslip portion 115 that is formed on the upper surface of the upper container body 11 at the rear side of the connecting portion between the upper container body 11 and the open/close lid 2. The frictional resistance of the upper nonslip portion 115 with the lid is high because it is formed of an elastic member as described later, thereby preventing the lid from swinging.

(Upper Fitting Portion)

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the upper fitting portion 116 is formed around the opening lower surface of the upper container body 11 except for the rear side of the opening where the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are connected to each other. Only the outer peripheral side of the lower edge of the upper fitting portion 116 protrudes to form an upper protrusion 1161. The inner peripheral surface of the upper protrusion 1161 is formed so as to fit to the outer peripheral surface of the lower protrusion 1211 of the lower fitting portion 121 formed in the lower container body 12 as described later.

The upper fitting portion 116 is formed such that the upper protrusion 1161 has a dimension in the upper-lower direction of preferably 0.5 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 1 mm to 3 mm.

(Engagement Recessed Portion)

As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the upper container body has an engagement recessed portion 117 formed in a recessed shape toward the front on the inner surface side of the front surface of the upper container body 11. The engagement recessed portion 117 engages with an engagement projection 1221 formed on the second latch 122 formed on the lower container body 12, which will be described later, and latches the upper container body 11 with the lower container body 12 while the housing space S is in the closed state. When the user pushes the second latch 122, the engagement recessed portion 117 and the engagement projection 1221 are disengaged from each other, and the housing space S is exposed.

(Material of Upper Container Body)

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the upper container body has the body-side sealing loop 113 on the upper surface and a portion surrounded by the body-side sealing loop 113 in the recessed portion 111 that are formed of a material having elasticity (hereinafter, referred to as an “elastic material”) such as silicone rubber and thermoplastic elastomer such as styrene-butadiene type, polyester type, polyethylene type, and urethane type. Hardness of the elastic material is preferably 20 to 90. The hardness is measured in accordance with JIS K 6253 (type A durometer).

In the upper container body 11, portions forming a first biasing member 3 and a second biasing member 13 described later, the upper nonslip portion 115, and the upper fitting portion 116 are also formed of a similar elastic material.

The other portions in the upper container body are formed of, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like.

They are integrally formed by injection molding (double molding).

When the hardness is less than the above, the elastic material is too soft and difficult to be molded, which results in poor molding efficiency. Furthermore, such a first biasing member 3 and a second biasing member 13 cannot bias the open/close lid 2 and the upper container body 11 respectively in an opening direction enough. When the hardness is more than the above, the hard portion around the outlet 112 increases the resistance too much and makes it difficult to take out the sheet one by one and to put fingers inside the container for pulling out the sheet. Furthermore, such a first biasing member 3 and a second biasing member 13 respectively bias the open/close lid 2 and the upper container body 11 in the opening direction too much.

Therefore, the hardness of the elastic material is preferably within the above range.

(Lower Container Body)

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the lower container body 12 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having an opening upper surface. Around the opening upper surface is formed a lower fitting portion 121 that fits to the upper fitting portion 116 of the upper container body 11. A second latch 122 for opening and closing the container body 1 is formed on the front surface, and a weight portion 123 is formed at the lower surface.

(Lower Fitting Portion)

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the lower fitting portion 121 is formed around the upper opening of the lower container body 12 except for the rear side of the opening where the lower container body 12 and the upper container body 11 are connected to each other. Only the inner peripheral side of the upper edge of the lower fitting portion 121 protrudes to form a lower protrusion 1211. The outer peripheral surface of the lower protrusion 1211 is formed so as to fit to the inner peripheral surface of the upper protrusion 1161 of the upper fitting portion 116 formed in the upper container body 11.

The lower fitting portion 121 is formed such that the lower protrusion 1211 has a dimension in the upper-lower direction of preferably 0.5 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 1 mm to 3 mm.

Alternatively, only the inner peripheral side of the upper protrusion 1161 of the upper fitting portion 116 and only the outer peripheral side of the lower protrusion 1211 of the lower fitting portion 121 may be each formed to protrude, such that the outer peripheral surface of the upper protrusion 1161 fits to the inner peripheral surface of the lower protrusion 1211.

Alternatively, the middle portion between the inner and outer peripheral sides of the upper protrusion 1161 and both of the inner and outer peripheral sides of the lower protrusion 1211 may be each formed so as to protrude, such that the upper protrusion 1161 fits to a recessed portion between the protruding sides of the lower protrusion 1211. Conversely, both of the inner and outer peripheral sides of the upper protrusion 1161 and the middle portion between the inner and outer peripheral sides of the lower protrusion 1211 may be each formed to protrude, such that the lower protrusion 1211 fits to a recessed portion between the protruding sides of the upper protrusions 1161.

(Second Latch)

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the second latch 122 is formed in a button shape having the engagement projection 1221. The engagement projection 1221 engages with the engagement recessed portion 117 formed on the upper container body 11 to latch the upper container body 11 with the lower container body 12 while the housing space S is in the closed state. When the user pushes the second latch 122, the engagement recessed portion 117 and the engagement projection 1221 are disengaged, and the housing space S is exposed. Conversely, the second latch 122 may have a recessed portion and the upper container body may have a projection, so that the recessed portion and the projection engages with each other.

(Weight Portion)

As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the weight portion 123 is formed at the front side of the lower surface of the lower container body 12. The weight portion 123 is a part of the lower surface of the lower container body 12 that is thicker than the other parts. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the weight portion 123 is formed in contact with the front surface of the lower container body 12 and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape over the entire inside space of the lower container body 12 in the Y direction. The specific shape of the weight portion 123 is not limited to this example, but is preferably long in the Y direction and short in the X direction in order that the weight portion 123 does not interfere with the storage of household tissue paper P.

The weight portion 123 is formed for the purpose of preventing the container for housing household tissue paper 100 from falling backward when the upper container body 11 is opened, as described later. In order to exert such an effect efficiently, the weight portion 123 is preferably formed at a position far from the rear side of the container body 11 where the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are connected, that is, formed at a front side of the lower container body 12.

Specifically, the weight portion 123 is desirably formed within a range of one-third of the lower container body 12 from the front when the lower container body 12 is divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The weight portion 123 needs to have enough weight so that the container for housing household tissue paper 100 does not fall backward when the upper container body 11 is opened as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. The weight depends on the weight of the upper container body 11, the lower container body 12, and the open/close lid 2, on the opening angle determined by the opening limiter 14 described later when the upper container body 11 is opened, and the like.

The density of the material forming the weight portion 123 preferably is preferably 1.0 g/cm³ or more and 2.0 g/cm³ or less, which is higher than that of resin forming most of the container body 1 such as polyethylene and polypropylene. When the density is within this range, the weight portion 123 has sufficient weight even if its volume is not so large. Furthermore, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 does not become excessively heavy. The density is more preferably 1.1 g/cm³ or more and 1.9 g/cm³ or less.

Specifically, a thermoplastic elastomer such as ABS resin, polyvinyl chloride, or PVA resin, polystyrene, or the like can be used.

Furthermore, it is more desirable that the material of the weight portion 123 is the same as the above-described elastic material used around the outlet 112 of the upper container body 11 or the like.

In this case, the material forming the weight portion 123 is unified with that of other portions formed with the elastic material in the container for housing household tissue paper 100. Therefore, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 including the weight portion 123 can be integrally formed by injection molding (double molding). As a result, it is possible to suppress reduction in productivity due to inclusion of the weight portion 123.

Alternatively, although the productivity is reduced, the weight portion 123 may not be integrally formed as described above, but may be separately formed and attached in the lower container body 12 in any way, for example, by bonding with a certain adhesive. In this case, it is not necessary to use the same material for the weight portion 123 as the material for the other portions of the container for housing household tissue paper 100, which can expand the choice of materials used for the weight portion 123.

As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the weight portion 123 is preferably formed of the above elastic material and is formed so as to be exposed on the lower surface side of the lower container body 12. In this case, because the elastic material having a larger friction than the resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene forming the other portions of the container body is exposed on the lower surface side of the lower container body 12, the placed container for housing household tissue paper 100 can be less likely to slip.

(Material of Lower Container Body)

The lower container body 12 has the lower fitting portion 121 and the lower nonslip portion 122 that are formed of an elastic material similar to that used in the upper container body 11. The portion(s) of the second biasing member(s) 13 described later is also formed of a similar elastic material. Furthermore, as described above, the weight portion 123 is also preferably formed of the similar elastic material. The other portion of the lower container body 12 is formed of, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, and the like.

They are integrally formed by injection molding (double molding).

(Second Biasing Member)

The second biasing member 13 biases the upper container body 11 with respect to the lower container body 12 in the opening direction such that, when a user pushes the second latch 122 and disengages the engagement projection 1221 and the engagement recessed portion 117, the upper container body 11 pivots on the rear connecting portion with the lower container body 12 as a pivot shaft, thereby exposing the housing space S.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second biasing member 13 is a band-shaped portion of an elastic material formed at the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12, so that the lower side of the rear surface of the upper container body 11 is connected to the upper side of the rear surface of the lower container body 12. That is, the second biasing member 13 is embedded in and formed integrally with the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12.

Two second biasing members 13 are illustrated in FIG. 2, but this does not limit the present invention, and the number of the second biasing members 13 may be more than two or only one.

The second biasing member 13 is formed of an elastic material such as silicone rubber and thermoplastic elastomer such as styrene-butadiene type, polyester type, polyethylene type and urethane type, that is similar to the elastic material used in the portion surrounded by the bodyside sealing loop 113 of the upper container body 11 and the like.

At the time of forming the container for housing household tissue paper 100, the container body 1 is formed in a state where the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are open as shown in FIG. 5, such that the second biasing member 13 at the time of forming is folded with the fold at the rear side when no force is applied. As a result, when the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are closed as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the stretched second biasing member 13 has a force to return to the state shown in FIG. 5. As a result, the upper container body 11 can be biased with respect to the lower container body 12 so that the upper container body 11 pivots backward on the rear connecting portion between the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 as a pivot shaft.

(Opening limiter)

The opening limiter 14 is used for the purpose of limiting the opening angle of the upper container body 11 with respect to the lower container body 12 when the container body 1 is open. As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the opening limiter 14 is a projection protruding in the rear direction and is formed below the connecting portion between the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 on the rear side of the container body 1. There are two projections in FIG. 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of the formed projections may be more than two or only one.

The opening limiter 14 limits the opening of the upper container body 11 such that the opening angle of the upper container body 11 is 60° or more and less than 180°. (The opening angle is an angle formed between an edge of the upper container body 11, corresponding to a lower edge in the closed state, and the upper edge of the lower container body 12 when the upper container body 11 is fully opened with respect to the lower container body 12, that is, 0 in FIG. 5.) When the opening angle is less than 60°, the gap formed at the time of opening is too narrow, and there are troubles in refilling the household tissue paper P. When the opening angle is 180°, there is no space for the user to insert his/her finger between the upper surface of the opened upper container body 11 and the placing surface T on which the container for housing household tissue paper 100 is placed, and it becomes difficult to close the container.

The opening angle is more preferably 60° to 160°, and most preferably 120° to 150° in order that the household tissue paper P can be easily refilled and the container for housing household tissue paper 100 can be prevented from falling backward.

{Open/Close Lid}

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the open/close lid 2 is a flat, a substantially rectangular member that is pivotably connected to the rear side of the recessed portion 111 of the upper container body 11, and has an open/close-lid-side hook 21 on the front side and an open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 on the lower surface side.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the shape of the open/close lid 2 in a plan view in the closed state is formed to be substantially the same as that of the recessed portion 111 of the upper container body 11, so that the open/close lid 2 can fit to the recessed portion 111 when closed.

(Open/Close-Lid-Side Hook)

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the open/close-lid-side hook 21 is a hook protruding from the open/close lid 2 toward the front. The open/close-lid-side hook 21 engages with the body-side hook 1141 formed on the first latch 114 of the upper container body 11 and latches the open/close lid in the closed state. When a user pushes the first latch 114, the body-side hook 1141 and the open/close-lid-side hook 21 are disengaged, and the open/close lid 2 is opened because of the first biasing member 3 described later.

(Open/Close-Lid-Side Sealing Loop)

As shown in FIG. 1, the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 is a loop-shaped projection protruding in the lower direction, and formed in the middle of the lower surface of the open/close lid 2 in the closed state. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the inner peripheral surface of the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 is formed so as to fit to the outer peripheral surface of the body-side sealing loop 113 formed on the upper container body 11.

(Material of Open/Close Lid)

As shown in FIG. 1, in the open/close lid 2, the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 and a portion surrounded by the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 are formed of a similar elastic material to the elastic material used in the upper container body 11 etc. The portion of the first biasing member 3 described later is also formed of the similar elastic material. The other portions are formed of, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, and the like.

They are integrally formed by injection molding (double molding).

{First Biasing Member}

The first biasing member 3 biases the open/close lid 2 in the opening direction such that, when a user pushes the first latch 114 and disengages the body-side hook 1141 and the open/close-lid-side hook 21, the open/close lid 2 is opened by pivoting on the rear connecting portion between the open/close lid 2 and the upper container body 11 as a pivot shaft.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the first biasing member 3 is a portion of an elastic material formed at the upper container body 11 and the open/close lid 2, so that the rear side of the body-side sealing loop 113 of the upper container body 11 is connected to the rear side of the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 of the open/close lid 2 in the closed state. That is, the first biasing member 3 is embedded in and formed integrally with the upper container body 11 and the open/close lid 2, such that the portion formed of the elastic material in the upper container body 11 and the portion formed of the elastic material in the open/close lid 2 are connected to each other.

The first biasing member 3 is formed of an elastic material such as silicone rubber and thermoplastic elastomer such as styrene-butadiene type, polyester type, polyethylene type and urethane type, similar to the elastic material used in the portion surrounded by the body-side sealing loop 113 of the upper container body 11 and the like.

The first biasing member 3 is formed at the upper container body 11 and the open/close lid 2 in a band shape having a width of preferably 2 mm to 30 mm, more preferably 8 mm to 10 mm, and a thickness of preferably 0.5 mm to 3 mm, more preferably 1 mm to 2 mm.

When the first biasing member 3 is formed so as to have such dimensions, it is possible to push up the open/close lid 2 without difficulty and to fold the first biasing member 3 easily in the recessed portion 111 when the open/close lid 2 is in the closed state.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the first biasing member 3 is folded at the base of the open/close lid 2 when the open/close lid 2 is closed. When a user pushes the first latch 114 and disengages the body-side hook 1141 and the open/close-lid-side hook 21, the open/close lid 2 is opened to be in a state shown in FIG. 3 by the stretching force of the folded first biasing member 3.

When a user pushes the open/close lid from the upper side, the first biasing member 3 is folded, and the open/close lid 2 is closed to be in a state shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

At the time of forming the container for housing household tissue paper 100, the container body 1 and the open/close lid 2 are formed in a state where the open/close lid 2 is open as shown in FIG. 3, such that the formed first biasing member 3 is stretched when no force is applied as shown in FIG. 3. As a result, when the open/close lid 2 is closed and the second biasing member 13 is folded as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the first biasing member 3 has a force to return to the state shown in FIG. 3. This makes it possible to bias the open/close lid 2 with respect to the upper container body 11 so that the open/close lid 2 pivots backward on the rear connecting portion between the open/close lid 2 and the upper container body 11 as a pivot shaft.

[Effect from Embodiment]

According to the container for housing household tissue paper 100 of the embodiment, the container body 1 includes the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 that are pivotably connected at the rear surface. Therefore, the upper container body pivots so that the housing space S can be exposed while the container is placed on a table or the like, and the household thin paper can be refilled.

Therefore, it is possible to refill the household tissue paper P while the container for housing household tissue paper 100 is not lifted from but left on the table or the like.

The upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are connected to each other at the rear surface. Therefore, after refilling the household tissue paper P, the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 can easily fit to each other so that the container body 1 is closed without aligning their positions each time.

Furthermore, according to the container for housing household tissue paper 100 of the embodiment, the opening limiter 14 limits the opening angle of the upper container body 11 with respect to the lower container body 12. As a result, a gap is reliably formed between the upper surface of the opened upper container body 11 and the placing surface T on which the container for housing household tissue paper 100 is placed when the container body 1 is opened. Thus, because there remains a space for the user to insert his/her finger, it is easy to close the container again.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, when the container body 1 is opened, the upper container body 11 is kept in a state where its upper surface is not in contact with the placing surface T on which the container for housing household tissue paper 100 is placed. In this case, particularly when the opening angle is 90° or more, the center of gravity shifts backward because of the upper container body 11, and the container for housing household tissue paper 100 easily falls backward.

However, the weight portion 123 of the lower container body 12 can prevent the container for housing household tissue paper 100 from falling backward. Such an effect can be exerted efficiently when the weight portion 123 is at the front of the lower container body 12.

Furthermore, according to the container for housing household tissue paper 100 of the embodiment, resistance is applied to the household tissue paper P at the outlet 112 when the household tissue paper P is taken out as described above. As the household tissue paper P inside the container is decreased, the container becomes light and may be lifted up due to the resistance of the outlet 112, and the household tissue paper P may be difficult to be taken out.

According to the container for housing household tissue paper 100 of the embodiment, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 is heavy because of the weight portion 123. Therefore, even if the internal household tissue paper P is decreased, it is possible to prevent the container from being lifted.

Furthermore, when the weight portion 123 is also formed of the elastic material used for the other parts of the container for housing household tissue paper 100, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 including the weight portion 123 can be integrally formed without increase in the number of parts. Therefore, inclusion of the weight portion 123 does not result in reduction in productivity.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, when the weight portion 123 is formed of an elastic material so as to be exposed on the lower surface side of the lower container body 12, the weight portion 123 also functions as a non-slip portion that makes the placed container for housing household tissue paper 100 less likely to slip.

According to the container for housing household tissue paper 100 of the embodiment, when a user operates the first latch 114 and unlatches the opening/close lid 2, the open/close lid 2 jumps up automatically because of the first biasing member 3. Therefore, it is easy to open the open/close lid 2 when using the household tissue paper.

Furthermore, when a user operates the second latch 122 and unlatches the upper container body 11 from the lower container body 12, the upper container body 11 jumps up automatically because of the second biasing member 13. Therefore, the container body 1 can be easily opened at the time of refilling the household tissue paper P.

Furthermore, the first biasing member 3 is formed of the same elastic material as the other portion(s) formed of an elastic member in the upper container body 11 and the open/close lid 2, such as the periphery of the outlet 112, and can be formed integrally with the container body 1 and the open/close lid 2. Furthermore, the second biasing member is formed of the same elastic material as the other portion(s) formed of an elastic member in the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12, and can be formed integrally with the container body 1. Therefore, because it is not necessary to use different materials or to increase the number of parts, inclusion of the first biasing member and the second biasing member 13 does not result in reduction in productivity.

In particular, the periphery of the outlet 112 of the upper container body 11 is preferably formed of an elastic material in order to apply appropriate resistance to the household tissue paper P. According to the present embodiment, the first biasing member 3 can be formed continuously from the periphery of the outlet 112. Such an embodiment is further preferred in terms of productivity because it is not necessary to prepare the first biasing member 3 as an elastic material separate from the periphery of the outlet 112.

Furthermore, the body-side sealing loop 113 in the upper container body 11 and the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 in the open/close lid 2 are each formed of an elastic material so as to fit to each other when the open/close lid 2 is closed. As a result, the airtightness of the outlet 112, and eventually the housing space S inside the container body 1, can be improved. This effect can be particularly enhanced when both the body-side sealing loop 113 and the open/close-lid-side sealing loop 22 are made of an elastic material.

Because the upper nonslip portion 115 formed at the rear side of open/close lid 2 on the upper surface of the container body 1 is made of an elastic material, the open/close lid 2 is more stable when opened.

When the container body 1 is closed, the upper fitting portion 116 formed of an elastic material in the upper container body 11 and the lower fitting portion 121 formed of an elastic material in the lower container body 12 fit to each other, and it is possible to improve the airtightness of the container body 1. This effect can be particularly enhanced when both the upper fitting portion 116 and the lower fitting portion 121 are made of an elastic material.

Furthermore, the container for housing household tissue paper 100 as a whole is made of two kinds of resin materials (an elastic material such as the silicon rubber or thermoplastic elastomer of a styrene-butadiene type, polyester type, polyethylene type, and urethane type, and a relatively hard material such as polyethylene and polypropylene), and can be integrally formed by injection molding (double molding). Therefore, excellent productivity can be also realized.

[Modified Embodiment]

The shape and/or arrangement of the weight portion is not limited to those described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a weight portion 123 A may be integrally formed of an elastic material on the entire lower surface of the lower container body 12A. The weight portion 123 A requires more elastic material and reduces the productivity when compared with the weight portion concentrated at the front side of the lower container body 12. However, because the entire lower surface of the lower container body 12A is made of an elastic material, the effect of the weight portion as the non-slip portion can be improved.

The specific structure of the opening limiter is not limited to the above, as long as it can limit the opening angle of the upper container body 11. For example, the opening limiter may be an elastic material that connects the upper container body and the lower container body formed on the inner side of the rear surface of the container body.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a first projection 118 protruding in the front direction is on the inner side of the rear surface of the upper container body 11B, and a second projection 124 protruding in the front direction is on the inner side of the rear surface of the lower container body 12B.

The first projection 118 and the second projection 124 are connected by an opening limiter 14A formed of an elastic material in a band shape. The opening limiter 14A is formed so as to be folded when the upper container body 11B is closed as shown in FIG. 8, and to be unfolded as the upper container body 11B is opened. As shown in FIG. 9, the opening limiter 14A does not extend any further when it is substantially linear viewed from the Y direction. Therefore, the upper container body 11B is limited to open only up to this state. When the upper container body 11B is closed, the opening limiter 14A is folded again as shown in FIG. 8.

In this way, the opening limiter 14A formed of an elastic material in a band shape can limit the opening of the upper container body 11B by connecting the first projection 118 of the upper container body 11B and the second projection 124 of the lower container body 12B.

Furthermore, the opening angle 0 of the upper container body 11B can be determined by the length of the opening limiter 14A.

Because an opening limiter 14A is formed on the inner side of the container body 1B, the container for housing household tissue paper 100B need not have a projection or the like on the outer surface which would deteriorate appearances.

As described above, the opening limiter 14A is formed of an elastic material, has one end connected to the first projection 118 of the upper container body 11B, has another end connected to the second projection 124 of the lower container body 12B, and is folded when the upper container body 11B is closed.

The opening limiter 14A is formed so as to have a substantially linear shape when viewed from the Y direction as shown in FIG. 9 when there is no force applied. As a result, when the upper container body 11B and the lower container body 12B are closed as shown in FIG. 8, the folded opening limiter 14A has a force to return to the state shown in FIG. 9. This makes it possible to bias the upper container body 11B with respect to the lower container body 12B so that the upper container body 11B pivots backward on the rear connecting portion between the upper container body 11B and the lower container body 12B as a pivot shaft.

That is, the opening limiter 14A also functions as a biasing member that biases the upper container body 11B with respect to the lower container body 12B in an opening direction. Therefore, even without having the second biasing member 13 separately, when a user pushes the second latch 122 and disengages the engagement projection 1221 and the engagement recessed portion 117, the upper container body 11B pivots on the rear connecting portion with the lower container body 12B as a pivot shaft, thereby exposing the housing space S.

The opening limiter 14A in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is formed almost in the middle in the Y direction at the rear side of the container body 1B, but does not limit the specific position and/or number thereof. For example, there may be a plurality of opening limiters 14A at respective positions in the Y direction.

Configurations of the container for housing household tissue paper 100, other than the weight portion and the opening limiter, can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a container body 1A may be configured to be divided into an upper container body 11A and a lower container body 12A by a dividing line that goes lower toward the front in the X direction.

This lower container body 12A has a wide opening upper surface, which makes it easier to refill the household tissue paper P while the container body 1A is opened.

The upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 are not limited to those including the second biasing member 13 that biases the upper container body 11. Alternatively, the second biasing member 13 may not be particularly included, and a user may grasp the upper container body 11 by hand to open and close it one by one.

The open/close lid 2 of the upper container body is not limited to have a structure illustrated in the drawings where the first biasing member 3 biases the open/close lid 2, but may have any structure as long as the outlet 112 can be opened or closed. For example, a biasing member may not be particularly included, and a user may grasp the open/close lid 2 by hand to open and close it one by one.

EXAMPLES

Next, test results will be described whether or not it is possible to prevent the container for housing household tissue paper according to the embodiment of the present invention from falling backward when the upper container body 11 is opened.

[Configurations of Examples and Comparative Examples]

Containers for housing household tissue paper according to the examples were prepared as follows.

Example 1

The container for housing household tissue paper 100 was formed to have dimensions in the front-rear direction of 130 mm, in the left-right direction of 150 mm, and in the upper-lower direction of 70 mm, and was divided into the upper container body 11 and the lower container body 12 at the middle position in the upper-lower direction.

The material forming the container body was silicone rubber as the elastic material and polypropylene as the other materials.

Each portion was formed such that the total weight of the upper container body 11 and the open/close lid 2 was 45.5 g, and the weight of the lower container body 12 excluding the weight portion 123 was 31.0 g.

The weight portion 123 was made of clay (components: flour, water, and salt) into a rectangular parallelepiped shape having dimensions in the front-rear direction of 10 mm, in the left-right direction of 110 mm, and in the upper-lower direction of 25 mm. The weight of the weight portion 123 was 20 g.

The weight portion 123 is actually preferably formed integrally with other portions of the lower container body 12, but was formed separately and then set up in the lower container body 12 in Example 1.

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third from the front side when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The opening limiter 14 was formed such that the opening angle of the upper container body 11 was 160°.

Example 2

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third in the middle when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 1.

Example 3

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third from the rear side when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 1.

Example 4

The weight portion 123 was made into a rectangular parallelepiped shape having dimensions in the front-rear direction of 20 mm, in the left-right direction of 110 mm, and in the upper-lower direction of 30 mm. The weight of the weight portion 123 was 30 g.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 1.

Example 5

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third in the middle when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 4.

Example 6

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third from the rear side when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 4.

Example 7

The weight portion 123 was made into a rectangular parallelepiped shape having dimensions in the front-rear direction of 25 mm, in the left-right direction of 110 mm, and in the upper-lower direction of 20 mm. The weight of the weight portion 123 was 40 g.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 1.

Example 8

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third in the middle when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 7.

Example 9

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third from the rear side when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 7.

Example 10

The weight portion 123 was made into a rectangular parallelepiped shape having dimensions in the front-rear direction of 30 mm, in the left-right direction of 110 mm, and in the upper-lower direction of 15 mm. The weight of the weight portion 123 was 67.5 g.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 1.

Example 11

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third in the middle when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 10.

Example 12

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third from the rear side when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 10.

Example 13

The weight portion 123 was made into a rectangular parallelepiped shape having dimensions in the front-rear direction of 35 mm, in the left-right direction of 110 mm, and in the upper-lower direction of 35 mm. The weight of the weight portion 123 was 140 g.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 1.

Example 14

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third in the middle when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 13.

Example 15

The weight portion 123 was located in the lower container body 12 so as to be within a range of one-third from the rear side when the lower container body 12 was divided into three equal parts in the front-rear direction.

The other configurations were the same as those in Example 13.

[Test Method]

The containers for housing household tissue paper of the examples were each placed on a table having a horizontal upper surface such that the entire bottom surface of the lower container body 12 was in contact with the horizontal upper surface, and tested whether or not fell backwards. In the test, the upper container body 11 was unlatched at the second latch 122 and opened to the maximum angle (opening angle of 160 degrees). When the container for housing household tissue paper did not fall backward, the Example was evaluated as AA, and when it fell, the Example was evaluated as BB. During the test, household tissue paper was not stored inside the container body.

(Test Results)

The test results are shown in Table I.

TABLE I Weight Ratio Weight of (Weight Portion):(Upper (Lower Container Body):(Upper Weight Container Body + Container Body + Location of Weight Portion Portion Open/Close Lid) Open/Close Lid) Front Middle Rear 20 g 0.44:1 1.12:1 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 BB BB BB 30 g 0.66:1 1.34:1 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 BB BB BB 40 g 0.88:1 1.56:1 Example 7 Example 8 Example 9 AA BB BB 67.5 g 1.48:1 2.16:1 Example 10 Example 11 Example 12 AA AA BB 140 g 3.08:1 3.76:1 Example 13 Example 14 Example 15 AA AA AA

(Evaluation)

Comparison of the above examples reveals that, the closer the weight portion is to the front side of the lower container body 12, the lighter weight portion can prevent the container for housing household tissue paper from falling.

The present invention is suitably applied in a technical field of manufacturing a container for housing household tissue paper. 

1. A container for housing household tissue paper comprising: a container body configured to store household tissue paper therein, wherein: the container body includes an upper container body that forms an upper portion of the container body and a lower container body that forms a lower portion of the container body, the upper container body has an outlet through which the household tissue paper is taken out from the container body and an open/close lid is configured to close to close the outlet and to open with respect to the outlet, the upper container body is pivotably connected to the lower container body, and the container body includes an opening limiter that limits an opening angle of the upper container body.
 2. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 1, wherein the opening limiter limits the opening angle of the upper container body to 60 degrees or mom and not more than 160 degrees.
 3. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 1, wherein the lower container body includes a weight portion that prevents the container for housing household tissue paper from falling when the upper container body is open.
 4. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 3, wherein the weight portion is located at a side of the lower container body, the side being opposite to a side where the upper container body is connected to the lower container body.
 5. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 3, wherein the weight portion is a part of a lower surface of the lower container body and is thicker than another part of the lower surface of the lower container body.
 6. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 5, wherein the weight portion is formed of an elastic material that is exposed from an outer side of the lower surface of the lower container body.
 7. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 3, wherein the weight portion is formed of an elastic material and is formed on an entire outer side of a lower surface of the lower container body.
 8. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 1, wherein: the upper container body is connected to the lower container body at a connecting portion, and the opening limiter is a projection below the connecting portion.
 9. The container for housing household tissue paper according to claim 1, wherein: the upper container body is connected to the lower container body at a connecting portion, and the opening limiter is formed of an elastic material and connects a part of the upper container body above the connecting portion with a part of the lower container body below the connecting portion. 